Dravon pulls a ring box from his pocket, and my eyes widen in shock. He sees the panic on my face, so he hurriedly continues.
"Relax, Em. I bought this promise ring to signify that if I have found my forever love in you that I want to promise you that I will be yours for always in every way possible. I want this ring to go in place of a wedding band that I hope you will wear soon, because I want you so desperately to have found your forever love in me. I want us to be bound together in every way possible. I want the human world to acknowledge what the supernatural one will now that we are bonded." Tears glisten in his eyes.
"Will you accept my promise, and wear this ring until you can answer if you have found your forever love in me? Will you wear it in place of a wedding band until such a time that I may ask you to be my wife?" he asks with hope in his voice and desire in his eyes.
"I will, Dravon. I need us to also find that forever love in each other. This is all going so fast I don't know if I can say that I am at that point as of yet."
He doesn't let me finish, touching his finger to my lip, and reaches down taking my hand to slide the ring on my finger. He smiles at me with love in his eyes.
"All I needed to hear is, I will. We will figure the rest out as we go, Em." He seems so sure of himself.
I wished I could be that sure of myself. I have always been a little uncertain and questioning of everything. This is a big decision in my life. I know you are wondering, how is this a big decision? How can something as simple as love be compared to saving the supernatural world? In my eyes love is not simple. It is beautiful, complicated, complex, and all knowing. I am not really even sure there is a word to describe love. It is just what it is, with no definite label to put on it. Those three little words have more power to them than all the magic in the world. The power to make you, break you, crack you, heal you, tear you down and build you up all in three little words. That is why it is such a big deal to me.
I smile back and look down at my ring finger and I am astonished. He has bought me a heart shaped diamond with amethyst stones outlining the heart. It is a simple design, not too big, not too little, but it is just right. It looks to be white gold, and it is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. The kind of ring I always wanted when I was to be married. He did an outstanding job picking this particular one out.
"I bind you for eternity, but there is one thing that must be done. You must seal the promise and vows that you have said to each other here today, before the Goddess with a kiss. My words have bound you already, but your willingness to give your blood and the kiss you will give will seal your fates and destiny together as one," Gran says.
Dravon pulls me to him, and I start to panic. I am going to have my first real kiss in front of a full audience. What if I don't do it right? What if we bump noses, clang teeth, or anything else I have heard from horror stories of people’s first kiss? This is definitely a teenager thing to be worried about. Good God Em, get it together! It is just a kiss! The supernatural world lies solely on your shoulders and you are worried about a kiss. I try to give myself a pep talk.
He turns his head slightly and smiles at me, looking deep into my soul with those icy blue eyes of his. Everything in both worlds seems to fade away. I turn my head slightly and his lips meet mine. At first it is a sweet innocent kindergarten kiss, and then he changes the pace. He reaches up caressing both my shoulders slowly with his cool touch. I feel a shiver run down my spine, and I step into him causing him to deepen the kiss as he runs his tongue over my lower lip begging for entry. I easily open up and give in to him. Our tongues meet doing a dance of love and passion that I didn't even know existed. Before I know it he is devouring my lips and I his, right there in front of the whole Coven. It's only because we hear my Gran clear her throat that we come up for air. I know I should be embarrassed but I'm not, because everything about that screamed love, passion, desire, and it just felt right.
"Your destinies are now sealed. You shall forever be one," Gran says, cutting the red ribbon around our hands, and as before, the cuts heal almost immediately. I see no sign that there has even been trauma there. There is a different light that envelope Dravon and me. It is a light pink, red, and white that almost blinds, and it’s the kind of white that you expect to come from angels. It wraps us in a tornado-like tunnel, but it doesn't lift us up, just like with Gran and me before. It twirls and swirls seeping right into our chests, and I can almost feel our lives being wound around each other's. It is an awesome feeling of pure bliss, a feeling that I could never explain with words, and I revel in it.
"Dravon, I have to ask you and Ren to please fall back, as I know that the wolves and vampires don't tolerate each other well. I need James for the next part of this ceremony, but please don't exit the circle."
I hear Dravon's sharp intake of breath, and it's my turn to soothe him, so I mimic the same thing he has been doing to my hand by rubbing circles on the back of his hand. I give him my best smile.
“I'm okay, Dravon. This has to be done.”
“I know, Em, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Does it?”
“No, you don't have to like it, but you do have to tolerate it. This is the answer to saving the supernatural world. Are you really going to stand in my way to prevent that?”
“Em, it is my job to take care of you now. I want you to be protected.”
“Dravon, are you listening to yourself? James is my protector!”
Dravon slams that damn telepathic wall down on me, and turns walking away briskly.
I see James come into sight, and automatically the tingling begins. How in the world am I going to survive having two men in my life this intimately? What is going to happen to the supernatural world with these two at each other's throats over me? I mean seriously, I am sure once everything is explained that will be enough to demand my attention. I don't need two guys to mix things up in my mind for me.
Chapter Twenty One
Jasper
It's about a thirty minute drive, to the address that Liam texted me. I am in the SVU, driven by Kaleb and I need to contact everyone. This would have been much easier just to use our vampire speed to travel, but I need the time to clear my head and make preparations for the arrival of Emmaline. I need to make sure that we have in place all the necessary people to have her bound to my Ultimate Five to keep her from becoming the Chosen.
These people I am talking about, we all have a common interest. We all want the supernatural race to disappear or cease to exist for one reason or another. It doesn't matter to me what their reasons are as long as they are on board with the plan. I pick up my cell to make the text.
Jasper: Meet me at the old warehouse at midnight.
Steven: I will be there with my pack.
Jasper: K. No trouble! This must go as planned! Understood?
Steven: My, my, are we hungry Jasper? Or just testy?
Jasper: Just get there okay?
Steven: Yep.
Steven is our replacement wolf for the Protector part of the ceremony that will be done by our Coven of witches. He and his pack have their own reasons to see the supernatural world come to an end. His pack may not all agree, but he's their alpha and they won't betray an alpha. Steven and I have been allies for quite a while now. We have a common enemy. If you guessed that the answer is vampires, then you would be correct. Together we have destroyed more vampires than I care to count. He is adamant about the reasons why he helps me, and we have formed this unlikely union be kept secret. I don't ask questions, because to me one more person helping eliminate our disgusting, worthless, monstrous kind is just all the better.
Ah yes, the Coven. My lovely little witches will be the next ones I need to have in place. Of course, we also need a Keeper as a replacement, this witch being High Priestess of the Coven that is helping me. They also have their reasons for wanting the supernatural world to end, and one of those reasons being the most powerful thing of all. Love! I continue to text.
Jasper: Meet me at the old warehouse at midnight.
Bethany: I will be there! I will also bring the girl.
Jasper: Haven has turned seventeen? Correct?
Bethany: Do you dare take me for an idiot, vampire?
Jasper: Bethany… Bethany... so damn testy.
Bethany: Ugh. Midnight then.
I know the conversation has ended abruptly because Bethany has considered my question stupid. Haven is our replacement as Healer, but the thing is she is not a fae or pixie. She is just a witch, and I am hoping that Bethany has enough magic up her sleeve to make that work. Sadie has fae and pixie blood. The true original Healer, with more power than any witch could ever possess. Her power at age seventeen, combined with Molly's and Emmaline's will be unstoppable. This is precisely why we have to get the ceremony finished before Sadie's seventeenth birthday, which is less than 48 hours and counting now.
Kaleb slows, turning into the drive that the GPS has instructed, and it is not long before we both recognize the black BMW sitting vacant almost hidden in the trees. "Damn, that Liam is an idiot sometimes," says Kaleb as we exit the SUV.
"He had better pray that our plan will not be stopped, or he will be meeting his untimely demise this day," I say pulling out my phone to text said idiot to let him and the others know that we are near.
Jasper: We are here. Have they completed any parts of the binding yet?
Liam: Yes, they have completed the soul mate ceremony.
Jasper: What?!?
Liam: You said not to make a move until you arrived. We haven't.
Now I am nine kinds of pissed off. Hopefully this little set back can be fixed by the almighty Bethany. I am sure that just as you bind something there must be a spell to undo it.
"You are right Kaleb. I don't think I'll need Liam's idiocy after today."
"What has happened?" Kaleb asks.
"He has done as instructed. He has waited on my arrival, but in doing so, he has allowed the soul mate bond to be completed and that also means that the Keeper bond has also been completed."
"Well, boss, you do have to give him points for being loyal and trustworthy."
Kaleb has a point, and maybe, just maybe, Liam doesn't have to die before we all cease to exist. What would be the point of that waste of energy anyway? We will all be in eternal bliss by tomorrow anyway.
"Let's just hurry before they complete the Protector bond, because if that happens… He will be able to track her anywhere."
Chapter Twenty Two
James
I hear my name called, and I see Dravon retreating to the back of the circle that the witches have cast. My pack stays back, but my dad, mom, and I make our way to the circle. We have been cleansed already, but the circle will have to be opened just once to let us enter. This is an unusual practice but necessary, since Dravon and I were not playing well together.
"James, Lily, and Grayson the circle has been opened appropriately. How do you enter?" asks Molly.
"In perfect love, perfect peace, and perfect trust," I say.
"In perfect love, perfect peace, and perfect trust," my mom and dad say.
The coven busies themselves with the closing of the circle once again, and then all eyes are on me. I wait until all appropriate things have been completed, then I make my way towards Emmaline. I am not completely sure how all this works, but I suppose it is something similar to what transpired with her and Dravon. I shouldn't be okay with the exchanging of blood with anyone, but somehow, this just feels natural almost like we have been doing this kind of thing our entire life. Maybe this is what destiny really is?
As usual I feel the tingling sensation begin, but I also feel the pit of my stomach aching and my heart feels as if it might explode. It's almost a feeling I would describe as foreboding doom or anxiety, but I quickly dismiss it, blaming my nerves. I also blame my nerves to keep from thinking about Sadie. Who am I kidding? Sadie has plagued my thoughts since our arrival here. Maybe that is why I am feeling this way. I can't seem to shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. Let's just get this done, so I can find Sadie.
Em, looks at me with a sad smile on her face and replies. "James, relax this won't take long. I want to find her just as much as you do."
I join hands with her but she has whispered quietly enough so only I can hear her. I must have a questioning look on my face because she smiles again.
"Telepathy, you know, Dravon gave me one-fifth of my magic, and the gift of telepathy. I can hear your thoughts, but unlike Dravon, I can't communicate that way with you."
I just smile back at her and all too readily dismiss the feelings I am having. I will soon find out how wrong I was to do just that. One should always go with their gut feeling about something, and never dismiss something that just seems terribly wrong.
Molly begins to speak again, but all sound is cut off as soon as my wolf hearing picks up fast approaching footsteps. I mean this must be a cheetah it's moving so fast. I try to turn to warn everyone, but as I turn my head slightly, I see just a blur of madness around me. We are surrounded by people I have never seen before.
I try to call out to my father as I start to change into my wolf form but I see my father lying on the ground unconscious. I am hit in the back of the head with a force that just about breaks my neck. My head snaps to the side and I taste blood. The last thoughts I have are of Sadie, as I chastise myself at my hesitancy to change in the moment that I could have. Darkness takes over my mind, numbness takes over my body, and the ache that was in my heart is now gone for this moment.
Chapter Twenty Three
Emmaline
I am standing there holding James's hand and the next thing I know we are being ripped from each other's grasp. Before my mind can register what is happening, I see James lying on the ground with blood pooling at the back of his head. I don't think he is dead but I know he is hurt. He is unconscious, and I take a quick look around and see that his dad has also been taken down.
Hands grab my waist, and then I am flying through the woods at a speed that makes me dizzy. I have to close my eyes to keep from throwing up. Bile rises in my throat, but I know that I’m okay if Dravon is carrying me. My head spins with his speed; making me even sicker the faster we go, and then it dawns on me we have left the circle of friends and my Gran back there. My God, what if they have hurt all of them? Panic rises in my chest.
“Dravon, we have to go back. We can't leave them! I won't run in the face of danger. Put me down.”
“Emmaline, what? Where are you? What are you talking about?”
I can hear the panic in his voice, and I know the answer to my next question. Dravon isn't carrying me. But if Dravon isn't, who is? Oh, my God! What has happened? The scene that we have left still clouds my mind. The only thing that I can think about is James and his father, lying in a pool of their, own blood. As hard as I try I can’t remember if Gran was still standing, or if she had suffered some sort of injury. I don't know what I will do without my Gran, because she is my whole world.
My eyes are still closed but I can feel the breeze on my cheek. Just as fast as this ordeal began it stops and I am standing near Gran's cabin. I see the black BMW that I recognize from the next door neighbors, but what would my neighbor want with me? That is my last conscious thought as the rag is put over my mouth, and the smell of chloroform threatens to make me empty the entirety of my stomach contents.
Chapter Twenty Four
Jasper
We have formed a plan, and everyone knows what they have to do. This is when I make the world see that vampires are the vilest of creatures. It's my job to grab Emmaline, because I will not trust her to anyone. She is the key to bringing down the supernatural world. We will cease to exist. I told my crew that no one is to die by our hands, but take out the Protector and any other wolves first.
"Kaleb, take out the Protector. He is the one by her side right now. Whatever you do, don't let that Protector ceremony be completed,"
I instruct. "Liam, take out the only other wolf inside the circle." He nods in agreement. "We would use a dart gun to take them down, but we don't have those. So this metal crowbar laced with Wolf's bane will take them down. We have about thirty minutes after they are rendered helpless to get away. Her Protector will stop at nothing to find her, so attack fast, keep the upper hand, and get what we came for and get out. Understood?"
"Yes, boss," they say in unison.
We make our way to the clearing, and we are in full vampire speed. They won't know we are here until it's over, or at least that’s what I am hoping will happen. Liam is on my right side, and Kaleb is on my left. Liam pounds what looks to be the Protector's father, and the only other wolf in the circle, in the back of the head. It's not easy, and it takes three hits to bring the massive man down, and the entire time he is growling and snarling. The wolf's bane isn’t allowing him to change, but it is causing a lot of pain. Finally when I think all hope is gone, he collapses with blood pooling around his head. Wolves are fast healers, and I know it won't take long for him to be back at one hundred percent. Kaleb reaches the Protector as I reach Emmaline, and chaos ensues all around us. Kaleb repeats the same thing that Liam just accomplished with the bigger wolf. The same results occur, another bloody wolf lying at the feet of the Chosen.
It is my chance, now or never, as they say. I pick up Emmaline and we are moving through the woods with only the speed a vampire can muster. She closes her eyes, because vampire traveling can be very traumatic to one that doesn't travel this way. What she does next though really surprises me. Actually I am expecting the complete opposite. She snuggles down into my neck making herself at home, almost becoming one with my body. I feel my heart almost as if it could leap up into my throat, because the only other girl to make me have feelings that I am having right now was my beloved Jess.